18 February, 2017

Russian
Tu-95 bombers have struck Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL)
targets in Syria's Raqqa region using X-101 cruise missiles, the
Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that it informed
the US about the operation.

“On
February 17, 2017, strategic missile carrying Tu-95 bombers made an
operational flight from the territory of the Russian Federation over
the territories of Iran and Iraq and conducted an air strike against
Islamic State terrorists’ objectives in the Raqqa region using
X-101 cruise missiles,” the ministry’s statement says.

It also says
the Russian bombers hit the terrorist's bases and training camps as
well as a command center of one of Islamic State's “large
detachments,” adding that all objects were successfully destroyed.

In Syria,
the bombers operated under cover of Su-30 and Su-35 fighter jets
scrambled from the Khmeimim Airbase in Syria's western Latakia
region. The bombers then returned to their bases in Russia, the
statement says.

The ministry
also said it notified Washington about the strikes in advance using
the “de-confliction” hotline. In October 2015, Russia and the US
agreed to a flight safety memorandum which regulates flight paths and
to inform each other of an emergency situation in Syria establishing
the hotline to avoid dangerous aerial incidents in Syrian airspace.

Colonel John
Dorrian, the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force, confirmed it
received the notification via the hotline.

In January,
Russia dispatched long-range bombers to Syria. On January 21, six
supersonic Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers conducted air strikes against
Islamic State targets in the Syrian governorate of Deir ez-Zor. The
Russian planes hit IS base camps, weapon stockpiles, and armored
vehicles.